13 Jun 2017

Deep Gazmer | TNN | Jun 12, 2017, DARJEELING: Heavy police presence was seen in Darjeeling in anticipation of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's (GJM) efforts to enforce bandh at government offices. Paramilitary personnel of the CRPF and RAF were deployed in large numbers with full riot gear.
The GJM has asked tourists to leave Darjeeling and warned those who stay on during its attempted lockdown of administrative offices and banks that they are doing so "at their own risk".

Section 144 has been imposed in some areas, particularly around District Magistrate's office, treasury building and court. Second 144 was in place in some parts of the Hills ever since trouble started but the enforcement has actually begun since Monday.

Toy train serives have been suspended in the wake of the bandh call. Schools are running as usual, traffic is thin in some areas, including government buildings.
GJM warns tourists

"The situation is turning worse, and anything can happen. The tourists must understand this. If they wish to stay back, they may do so at their own risk. I appeal to them (tou rists) to leave," GJM president Bimal Gurung said after a party meeting in Patleybas near Singamari on Sunday . Gurung's "appeal", which will hit the Hills economy and its residents much harder than tourists, came after yet another signal from the Mamata Banerjee government that it intended to clamp down on the stir with all its might. The state reacted sharply . "This is an ex tra-constitutional diktat, blatantly illegal. Tourists are free to go to the Hills. Gurung heads a legally mandated self-autonomous council; he isn't above the law himself," said state tourism minister Goutam Deb.

Like the last three days, Sunday also saw a huge rush of tourists trying to get out of the Hills. "We had booked a hotel from Thursday to Sunday in Darjeeling, but because of the unrest we stayed in Kurseong," said Dipanjan Mullick, the zonal head of a private bank in Kolkata, who had gone holida ying with his wife and child."On Saturday , we had been to Darjeeling for a few hours and came back to our hotel in Kurseong before evening. But we came back to Kolkata on Sunday . I didn't want to take any chance, with the strike and agitation. I love the Hills and would be happy to go back, but not before the situation gets better," he added.

Cops arrested five GJM supporters, ostensibly for their role in Thursday's violence during the state cabinet meeting, but Nabanna insiders admitted that the arrests -just a day before the GJM stir -had twin purposes. "Yes, the five GJM supporters who were arrested were caught on CCTV taking active part in Thursday's violence," a senior official said. "But this is also a signal to the GJM before it starts its stir. The CM has made it very clear that she wants to tackle this head-on because the stir's impact on the Hills economy will be detrimental to Hills residents' interests."

On Saturday night, police arrested Sanjiv Tamang, Bhuwan Giri, Santosh Thapa, Rabindra Pradhan and Dhan Maya Tamang from their respective homes in Darjeeling. "The five accused were identified in the CCTV footage during the clash on Thursday near the Gorkha Ranga Manch Bhawan. There will be more raids and arrests," police said.

Stiff penal sections like arson, rioting and attack on on duty policemen have been slapped against the accused.They were produced in the Darjeeling chief judicial magistrate's court. The four men were remanded in two days' police remand; the lone woman arrested was forwarded to the district correctional home.

Gurung warned the situation would turn for the worse if the state government conti nued their "atrocities".
The state chose to issue an official notification on Sunday that all its offices will remain open in Darjeeling and Kalimpong and also made it mandatory for employees to attend work. The order said: "It has also been decided that no leave shall be granted to any employee on any of these bandh days." Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, the statement said, has also decided that absence of employees on any of these days will be treated as "dies non", which will constitute a break in service, for which no salary will be given unless in emergency circumstances.

Darjeeling district magistrate Joyoshi Dasgupta war ned that action would be taken against anyone who tries to prevent government employees from attending office. "Five companies of paramilitary forces that were already in the Hills are still deployed. Army personnel, however, didn't patrol the streets on Sunday for the situation is normal," she said. In the eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation between the state and GJM, Gurung's attempt to reach out to other Hills parties on June 13, barring Trinamool, to resonate their Gorkhaland cause has evoked mixed response. Jana Andolan Party (JAP) president Harka Bahadur Chhetri said the allparty meet was an SOS by the beleaguered GJM, and lacked sincerity . A new GTA body needs to be elected within August 14. Chhetri, who had severed ties with GJM in 2015 and floated JAP , wants GJM to pressure BJP to bring a bill for Gorkhaland in the monsoon session.

The All India Gorkha League (AIGL) said it would not attend the meet called by a party whose "hands were full of blood". The Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM) and CPM said they would first go through the contents of GJM's invitation.

Post a Comment

Kalimpong News is a non-profit online News of Kalimpong Press Club managed by KalimNews. It is published simultaneously in this site as well as http://kalimpongnews.net.Please be decent while commenting and register yourself with your email id. Your id will be kept secret, as far as practicable.

Do You have a heart for others? You can help students taking shelter at

SILOAM CHILDREN'S HOME

Registered Home of SILOAM CHARITABLE TRUST, East Main Road, Kalimpong, West Bengal, India.A home sheltering and educating 13 orphan and underpriviledged Children with personal support needs immediate Financial Support.

Blog Archive

Support Us

Citizen reporters may send photographs related to news with proper information/news to newskalimpong@gmail.com
To support this blogsite contributions from well wishers are invited.
You may contribute your donations in the name of “KALIMPONG PRESS CLUB” in its account no.14800208048-9 of Darjeeling District Central Cooperative bank, Kalimpong Branch (IFSC code: WBSCODJCB01). Please write to us at newskalimpong@gmail.com or kalimpongpress@gmail.com

Today in Kalimpong

Google News - Top Stories

ABOUT US

Kalimpong News is an online news of Kalimpong Press Club administered by Board of Directors of KalimNews.

KalimNews is the news agency of the Kalimpong Press Club.It is a unit of the Club and news agency that provides news for a/ its daily news channel DAINANDINI, broadcasted in areas of Kalimpong by the Sky scan cable network; b/ Kalimpong News - available at two online news sites http://.kalimpongnews.net and http://kalimpongonlinenews.blogspot.com.

The blog site http://kalimpongonlinenews.blogspot.com was started on May 23, 2009 and officially inaugurated on Nov 16, 2009 and its online news site kalimpongnews.net was started and inaugurated on 20, Nov 2010.

CONTACT US

Citizen reporters may send photographs related to news with proper information to newskalimpong@gmail.com

DAINANDINI

Dainandiniis the first news based informative Cable Television Channel programme of Kalimpong, broadcasting since 15th March 2007 and transmitted by Sky Scan Cable Networks of Kalimpong. This 30 minute programme is aired twice daily at 7 am, 11 am and 7 pm. KalimNews is the news agency of Kalimpong Press Club that administrates the programme of DAINANDINI as well as online news Kalimpong News available in its two sites http://kalimpongonlinenews.blogspot.com. And http://kalimpongnews.net

Kalimpong Press Club

Kalimpong Press Club--- It was established on 16th Nov 1998 for the welfare and solidarity of the Journalists of Kalimpong sub-division and persons interested in Journalism. Its objective is to unite all member journalists for the betterment of media, acquire admissible rights of the media and media persons and assist the administration and other bodies working for the smooth function and development of the society and public institutions. It aims to bring all the people related to journalism in a single platform for the benefit and development of the society. It is a registered organisation having Registration NO. S/1L /17670 issued by the Registrar of Firms, Societies and Non-trading Corporations, West Bengal in accordance to the West Bengal Society Registration Act 1961.

Its members are members of Eastern Himalayan Journalists Union which is affiliated to Indian Journalists Union.